English: Of Mice and Men Steinbeck's novella “Of Mice and Men” is a parable that tries to explain what it means to be human. The novella is Steinbeck's thinking about man's place in the universe. Essentially, man is a very small part of a very large universe; in the greater scheme of things, individuals come and go and leave very little, lasting mark. Yet deep inside everyone is longing for a place in nature — the desire a place to call "home." The struggle for such a place is universal, and its success is uncertain. In sharing his vision of what it means to be human, Steinbeck touches on several themes: the nature of dreams, the nature of loneliness, man's propensity for cruelty and the uncertainty of the future. To convey these themes Steinbeck uses many techniques and conventions such as point of view, plot structure, characterisation and symbolism. The weaker male characters in the novella shared the same …show more content…
One of which is Lennie’s puppy, it symbolises the victory of the strong over the weak and also foreshadows Lennie’s inevitable fate. Lennie is like an innocent animal unaware of the vicious, predatory powers that surround him which led him to his death. Another example would be Candy’s dog represents the death awaits anyone who have outlived his/her purpose in life, which supports the cruel natural order that the strong will dispose of the weak. Candy’s dog also represented Candy as he is nearing an age where he will no longer be useful at the ranch and no longer welcomed. Most of the symbols used in the text represent how cruel and cold blooded the world in the 1930s during the great depression, where lives were lost but no one cares but it not only represented that time but also our own society how the strong will take out the weak for example Trump wants to ban Muslim entering America. Even today lives that does not provide benefit to ourselves is a ‘useless’